


Corrupted Positivity (One-Shot)

by Hermes187



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underverse (Undertale), Gen, Shattered!dream - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29673891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hermes187/pseuds/Hermes187
Summary: The war between positivity against negativity waged by the guardians of emotions finally had a winner, but not in the expected way.Swallowed by guilt and mourning, perhaps an even worse evil begins to arise.Even the purest can be corrupted.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Corrupted Positivity (One-Shot)

For a long time, those who have knowledge of the multiverse have lived in constant fear because of two specific individuals, Nightmare and Error. There was a time when these two monsters fought each other due to their clashing ideals and goals, but over time they learned that the only winners of their futile fights were their true enemies, so a deal was made. Error would only destroy the universes that weighed in the balance towards the side of positivity while Nightmare would help him in the process as well as offer him special treatment and protection. And with this alliance, an era of chaos and fear began in the multiverse.

The first of the duo was responsible for frequently attacking AU's together with his group of mad Sans, due to these attacks a countless number of lives were lost. But those who perished could be considered the lucky ones since Nightmare tortured physically, mentally and mainly emotionally all the survivors, creating a dystopia with a single purpose, to increase his power with all the negativity generated in these alternative universes. With the help of his subordinates who gained control of the negative universes and with the attacks of the destroyer that eliminated the positive ones, Nightmare's power grew by the day.

As for Error, although he was not as sadistic as the guardian of negativity, still managed to outdo his companion in brutality by causing the complete destruction of the positive AU's that had the misfortune of obtaining the presence of the destroyer. All the alternate universes were just dirty glitches that didn't deserve to exist in the eyes of the Destroyer, but even Error himself, who was famous for his great stubbornness, had to admit that due to the King of Nightmares help, his job became much more easier. Some of his opponents, especially one in question, had always been his main source of annoyance when doing his job, but this problem was considerably diminished once the alliance was formed. The multiverse became a emptier place with each attack by the destroyer.

Although there was a resistance that always clashed with the most feared duo in the multiverse, still Nightmare and Error managed to create a realm of terror in which the mere mention of their names was enough to scare off much of the population. However, nowadays in the base of the main group responsible for the opposition against the terrible duo, those who were known as Star Sanses, the atmosphere was of joy. Something that many already believed to be impossible had happened, the main culprit for most of the suffering that exists in the alternate universes no longer existed, Nightmare was killed.

Error was alive and apparently extremely angry at the loss of the King of Nightmares, his mood could be represented with a large number of AU's that were frequently being erased from existence due to his fit of rage. The trio of manic Sans now had no leader and their whereabouts were unknown, some claimed to have seen them in certain universes, but on checking such places only traces of dust and blood could be found while the culprits were nowhere to be found.

But even in such a situation the multiverse got a chance, at least for a single night, to celebrate the fall of the tyrant who had taken so many innocent lives. The news spread like wildfire and so, for a few hours at least, everyone involved in the mission that resulted in Nightmare's defeat had forgotten all their troubles and focused exclusively on celebrating their victory. All except just one monster in question.

In the middle of the hall filled with joy with several monsters and even some humans laughing, drinking and having fun in the middle of the celebration of their new triumph, a figure with a depressed expression could be seen standing apart from the others. Dream, guardian of positivity and twin brother of Nightmare, brother of the very reason the whole party is happening, was currently huddled in a corner of the hall lost in his own thoughts.

Not only because he was someone famous, but also because he was the only one whose behavior differed from the others, everyone in the place noticed the way Dream was acting. Despite everything, Nightmare was still his family, his only family, and while some could still imagine how he was feeling and just avoided him out of respect for his grief, others however did not share this empathy and just ignored him because they thought it was totally pointless to feel sorry for someone as horrible as the guardian of negativity, regardless of whether he was one of Dream's family or not. Soon those who followed this line of thought avoided him because they had no interest in the family drama, but even these people preferred to remain silent and not speak their thoughts out loud out of respect for the guardian who played an important role in the mission that took Nightmare's life. But still, there was someone who cared and decided to check how Dream was dealing with the loss.

\- Dream, you've been depressed long enough, are you sure you don't want to stay with the others? - Stopping to stare at the floor and slowly raising his head to see who had asked the question, it was possible to see Blue face. The one who was usually a well of positivity regardless of the situation and always acted as a moral compass for the guardian, reminding him that it was possible to smile even in the worst moments and thus giving him strength to overcome many difficulties, at this very moment was the second person Dream least wanted to see. - You don't have to go through this alone, it's for moments like these that having friends can make the difference. Please let me help you. - Blue reached out and put his hand on his depressed friend's shoulder, but his friend interrupted him by grabbing his arm.

\- Thanks, but I really prefer to be alone now. - Gently taking his colleague's hand away, Dream continued before Blue could say anything else. - Let me say this again, I need to be alone now. I'm sorry Blue but I don't think anyone can help me now, I'll get better, I promise, but for now, at least for now, please leave me alone all right? - The little Sans thought for a moment about trying to convince his friend again, but when he noticed the look of extreme tiredness and sadness on his friend's face, he changed his mind and decided to respect his decision.

\- Fine, but whenever you are ready to talk about it or need to get something off your chest, know that I will always be here. - His response gain only a slight nod of the guardian's head, who then returned to staring at the ground silently, losing himself once again in his own thoughts. Blue let out a sigh of frustration before turning away and giving his colleague some privacy.

The guardian didn't hate Blue or feel uncomfortable because of anything the little Sans did or said, his presence most of the time was able to bring him comfort and even security in difficult moments of the past. But right now, Dream doesn't wanted the company of anyone endowed with positivity, he doesn't wanted comfort because of guilt for having participated in his brother's death. Even if unconsciously, drowning in his own loneliness was his way of punishing himself for what he had done.

However, Dream still found it difficult to stay in the hall due to what was happening around him, he tried in vain to ignore the loud voices from the conversations around him, where everyone was attacking in every possible way the only member of his family, now deceased and with any hope of resuming their old relationship lost forever. For the first time in his entire life, Dream was feeling disgusted by his own powers, as he was strengthened by all the joyful atmosphere around him, the guardian never imagined that the day where he would feel disgusted by positivity would come. The proportion by which his power increased was only rivaled by the increase in frustration he felt inside himself, for this moment was only happening because of a constant number of disastrous events that occurred because of his failure, his failure to help his brother.

Unable to bear this situation any longer, Dream decided to go somewhere more secluded where he could get away from all the nasty comments he was hearing. As he stood up and walked to a place out of everyone's sight, for a brief moment the guardian spotted in the crowd the first person he didn't want to see, Ink. Watching the artist talking and laughing with everyone, scenes of the recent event that had taken Nightmare's life flashed before his eyes again, and with this the rare occasion when the incarnation of positivity felt anger and even a certain amount of hatred occurred. Fearful that he would do something he would later regret, Dream quickly used his powers to travel to another AU, but specifically to the place where he was born and raised, DreamTale.

As Dream observed his surroundings, he felt a slight relief as all the voices faded away and were replaced by the silence of his homeland, but soon a feeling of helplessness came over him as he took a closer look at this lifeless place that was currently only a shadow of what it once was in its former glory. In search of some peace due to his guilty conscience, the guardian walked through a deserted land at the same time as memories of the past came back to him, memories of simpler times where his greatest worries were not even worth mentioning compared to the least of his problems today.

Eventually he stopped his steps before a fallen tree, the same tree that spawned the black and golden apples, the same tree that spawned the lives of the guardian twin brothers Dream and Nightmare, now fallen and destroyed as a result of the greed of the deceased natives from DreamTale. One of the main goals in Dream's life has always been to help as many people as possible, always believing that there was goodness within everyone, even if just a little. But even with this kind of mentality, there is a dark thought within Dream in which he has never shared with anyone. A certain part of him feels guilty for wishing evil on someone, but the mere thought that he once chose to side with the greedy and lying people who conspired against him to steal the golden apples and in the process turned his brother into the demon he became, always managed to cause extreme discomfort in the guardian of positivity who over time began to hate them. But no matter how Dream felt, the past could not be changed.

Just as his choice moments before Nightmare lost his life could not be changed. As he closed his eyes, scenes of tragic memories of the recent events came back in the form of a whirlwind in his mind.

  
Although Nightmare is one of the most powerful entities in the multiverse, he is not invincible, and the most effective weapon to deal with him would be his brother's power. Therefore, Dream was the most important member of this mission that everyone had planned in advance.

Moments before they all passed through Ink's portal, the extreme tension in the room was almost palpable due to the challenge they would all soon face. Both Ink and Dream had spent a considerable amount of time recruiting all the fighters strong enough for this job and who were willing to help. Because this battle would not only be against Nightmare himself, but against his entire group and there was also the most dangerous variable of all, the destroyer. Although Error is not always on the side of the guardian of negativity like the trio of murders Sans, still there had been occasions in the past where he suddenly appeared and turned the tables in favor of the villains of the multiverse, so measures for any sign of the glitch's appearance were taken.

When they all passed through the portal, they were in the midst of chaos due to the fact that this was the exact moment Nightmare was attacking an AU along with his minions. Although Dream did not wish his brother dead, he was willing to do anything in order to stop him regardless of how much he would have to hurt him, so this mission consisted mainly of neutralizing the target. But what the guardian didn't know was the artist's real intentions regarding the way they would deal with Nightmare.

When the people responsible for all the violence noticed the presence of the group that had just arrived, as if everything was a rehearsal already practiced, nobody wasted any time and everyone took their position in choosing their opponents. Immediately, the groups already defined sought their targets with the intention of starting a battle against Killer, Horror and Dust in which the purpose was not to defeat the opponent, but to buy time for the main members of this group to fight Nightmare.

To the annoyance of the King of Nightmares, suffering with his brother's interference in his plans was a common and routine occurrence, because of this no one wished to waste time with words or any kind of speech, so once again a battle began, but this one would not be like the others.

It was difficult to have a sense of time in the midst of mortal combat, no one could tell for sure how much time had passed since the beginning of the confrontation, the pain and fatigue in the bodies of the combatants increased with each moment but no one could afford to lose. However, the combination of Dream and Ink along with the other Sans that served as long distance support proved too much even for Nightmare. In a single moment of carelessness, several arrows composed of Dream's magic made of positivity hit their target and immobilized him on the ground. Nightmare tried to regenerate his tentacles composed of black goo, but before he could succeed, new arrows shot him again, making it impossible for him to escape and still managing to elicit a cry of pain from him, a scene that none of those present were used to seeing.

Now fallen and defeated, Nightmare looked around for his combatants, but none were in sight. Cursing himself internally for not being more cautious, several thoughts of how to get out of this situation crossed the guardian of negativity's mind, but his mind was pulled back to reality when Ink hit him with his brush.

\- Good job Dream, we couldn't have done it without your help. I'll take care of the rest. - In contrast to the indifference in his tone of voice, the artist's movements gave the impression that he was impatient to get this situation over with, for he feared that his companion would try to stop him if he was given time. And just as he predicted, Dream interrupted him.

\- Take care of the rest? But we're done here Ink, he's already been defeated. - Although Dream was still on the lookout for any attempt his brother might make to escape, his attention couldn't help but be drawn to the artist's words.

\- I said I'll finish the job, you don't have to stay here and watch, you can leave if you prefer. - And once again Ink lifted his brush, which had a reddish tinge at the tip, as a result of his paint burning effects. At this point it was clear what his intentions were.

\- No, Ink, that's not what we agreed! The others won't approve this! - Shifting his gaze to the small number of Sans behind him, Dream was amazed when everyone avoided looking him in the eye, as if they already knew and expected such a scene to happen. - No... are you... are you all okay with this?

\- This was not something I decided to do now Dream, I had already talked to everyone before. Well, almost everyone, Blue doesn't know, just like you he wouldn't approve of it. - Scratching the back of his skull as he tried to muster the patience to convince his partner of innumerable battles, Ink tried his best to run away from this conversation that he knew would take place at some point. - But look around you, see how many people suffer, have suffered and will suffer because of him. This is the best solution to our problems, and the others have already agreed on this.

\- Still we don't have to kill him! I know him better than all of you, I know that he can still become someone with a good heart again. - Dream was tempted to point out the fact that Ink didn't care about the deaths caused by Nightmare, only the AU's themselves. And that he was only saying this at this point to use this fact as an argument against him. But still there was no denying that there was truth in these words regarding the suffering of innocent lives, so the guardian decided not to broach that subject. - Just please don't kill him, let me talk to him, I can... - His words were interrupted by Ink's shout.

\- No Dream, you can't! How many times has this been repeated? This family feud between you two should have been over long ago! - Dream knew that the artist was really angry about this situation when his eyes took the form of a red glow, a shape he was only used to seeing when Ink fought Error to save some AU. - At this point, you are the only one who cares about him, probably even his pets would stab him in the back if they had the opportunity. - Upon hearing his subordinates being referred to in such a ridiculous manner, the King of Nightmares again driven by anger tried once more to regenerate his lost limbs to return to combat, regardless of the positivity arrows that still pinned him to the ground. But once again, his efforts were thwarted when the brush hit him in the head, this time added to the burning effect that once again drew an agonizing sound of pain from Nightmare. - If you really care about your brother, you should be done with it by now. I never told you this out of consideration for all we've been through together, but when it comes to your family, you are a coward Dream.

\- No... I... I won't let you do this. - Without strength, morale or even anyone's support. Dream transformed his bow into two blades, and even though he was crestfallen, he pointed one of the blades at Ink. But before he realized it, the other Sans who were behind the guardian quickly pinned him to the ground, thus depriving him of his weapon and forcing him to witness the execution that was about to take place.

\- I'm sorry that things have to be this way Dream, but we won't get another opportunity like this. That crazy trio is busy and for some reason Error didn't show up, we need to end this now while we still can. - Lifting his brush slowly for the last time, a new white paint could be found on the tip of the artist's weapon.

Powerless to fight back and gasping for breath, Nightmare looked at his brother. Surprisingly to Dream, when he saw the expression that faced him, unlike the angry expression Nightmare always showed, it was now possible to see an almost serene face. The guardian could even assume that he could find a faint trace of amusement in his brother's face.

\- How ironic, history is bound to repeat itself again and again, isn't it? You are betrayed by those who you could have sworn to be on your side, and I am the one who suffers for your stupidity, you haven't changed a bit. Be it when we lived together... when you awoke from your long sleep... when we fought against each other... Dream, you let me down in all those moments, my only family is actually a plague on my life. - Taking a short pause due to the burning pain he still felt, he soon spoke again before the final blow was delivered. - I hate you brother, I wish you had never been born.

And with these words, Ink's brush was struck one last time into the guardian of negativity, and the white paint completely covered his body. This paint was different from the others, and was also the most dangerous in the artist's arsenal.

Contrary to what everyone expected, Nightmare did not utter a single cry of pain, or at least seem bothered by the strange substance covering him. But slowly, everyone could notice that slowly, Nightmare's body was disappearing, or more precisely, being dissolved.

Because of the special conditions of his body, conditions that were acquired when the guardian of negativity ingested dozens of black apples from the tree that had conceived him to life, the King of Nightmares could not be completely killed until his body was completely destroyed. But at this very moment, even though no pain could be felt, Nightmare could feel the life slowly leaving his body.

This white paint had the magical properties to dissolve any target, to the point that even Nightmare's black goo was not considered an exception. Witnessing one of the most powerful monsters being slain in such a way as he slowly ceased to exist was a beautiful sight for Ink, somewhat disturbing for the small group of skeletons watching the scene as they immobilized Dream, and extremely traumatic for the guardian of positivity.

Years of cultivating a hope that one day his brother would return to normal, years of wishing, longing that all the problems they had in the past would be forgotten, were now summed up to literally nothing before his eyes. His brother was dead, and he was one of the main culprits.

  
Opening his eyes and coming back to reality as he turned away from his thoughts, Dream pondered what he was going to do with his life now. The Star Sanses group would never be the same, and even the incarnation of positivity didn't know if it could forgive Ink for what he did, so the guardian found himself extremely alone and helpless at the moment, not knowing which way to go. Before he knew it, a light stream of tears streamed down Dream's face.

But his reveries were interrupted by a voice behind him.

\- Finally you appeared. - Dream didn't need to turn around to know who this voice belonged to, as the words that sounded accompanied by sounds composed of glitches were easy to identify.

An attack made up of blue strings was fired at Dream, but he managed to quickly dodge it and increase the distance between them. Now facing his attacker, Dream quickly dried his tears, showing weakness in front of his enemy was the last thing he wanted at the moment. And upon closer inspection, it was possible to notice that the destroyer looked even angrier than usual.

\- Error! What do you want? Why are you here? - For an instant the guardian regretted that he had returned to his homeland alone, since he didn't have much confidence that he could defeat Error on his own. Especially in a situation where his emotions were a mess, something that is directly reflected in his powers.

\- I had a little intuition that if I waited, you would appear. And I was right. - Even if Error showed a smile, it was easy to see that he was far from happy.

The glitch expressed no good will in explaining why it was attacking Dream so suddenly, without saying another word it just kept attacking. His target had no choice but to pull himself together and then defend himself from the countless attacks directed at him.

Although the main opponent that Error is used to fighting was Ink, there have been occasions where the destroyer has battled the guardian of positivity as the latter acted as a support to the artist. But a head-to-head fight between just the two of them, was the first time it was happening.

Dream knew that once the destroyer's cursed magical strings got involved in his soul, this would be the moment of his defeat. However, talking was easier than doing, so the little guardian was frantically switching weapons at every moment during the fight. At times he used his two blades to cut the strings whenever they came near him, strings that seemed to have no end. While whenever Error displayed a gap, Dream switched his weapon of choice to a bow and fired as many arrows as possible at his target, who would just teleport to safety and then the conflict would begin again.

This whole scene of action, although it was frenetic to the point that only an eye trained over several battles would be able to observe it correctly, lasted only a little over a minute. Since every individual has a rhythm, and all it took for the winner to be decided was an oversight by Dream that caused him to be shot by Gaster Blaster and then captured by the Destroyer's main weapon.

Tired both physically and emotionally, Dream struggled for only a few moments before finally giving in to the uncomfortable sensation of feeling his soul entwined in the destroyer's strings, in which just a thought from his master would be enough to crush the guardian's fragile mace-shaped soul.

\- Okay... you win. What happens now? Are you going to kill me? - Dream's voice sounded very tired, almost as if the idea of having his end right here, right now, wasn't such a bad thing.

\- I'd be lying if I said I am not tempted to reduce you to a pile of dust right now. But that would be too easy, even for a coward like you. - Opening a portal to the Anti-Void, Error stepped through it while bringing in his now defeated opponent. - He probably wouldn't want me to do that either... - This last part came in the form of a whisper, which Dream was too tired to notice.

Looking around, Dream found himself for the first time in what could be considered the home of the AU's Destroyer. Now he could finally understand why Ink hated this place, even Dream himself, who normally didn't mind empty places, felt uncomfortable in such a large and totally empty environment where endless white was the only thing that could be seen no matter where one looked. Except if you looked up, because hanging high above this dimension were countless numbers of human souls trapped in strings, forever confined in this prison. Dream understood the purpose for which Error kept the souls, which was to ensure that the universes in which these souls belonged would never return, but even so the guardian could not help but wonder if the glitch also kept these souls as some sort of trophies, similar to the behavior of a psychopath. But upon further thought on this matter, Dream preferred not to know the answer.

\- You don't even move or make a sound, are you sure you're still alive? - Error's rude words once again snapped Dream out of his reverie, where he just stared at his captor with the same tired expression as before.

\- I will ask you again, what happens now?

\- Since the option of putting you out of your misery is out of the question, let's have a little chat guardian. - Of all the things Dream could expect, seeing the monster with an even higher death count on his back than his brother, willing to talk to him, was definitely not something he expected. - But first a quick recap. You failed in your duty to protect the tree with the magical fruit, an obligation entrusted directly from what could be considered your mother from the moment of your birth. You failed your brother when you broke the already fragile trust he had in you by deciding to side with a lying, greedy people, who were only using you and you, blind as you are, didn't notice. Then you were turned to stone due to the direct contact with your brother's great negativity and when Ink released you from your sleep after countless years, one of your first actions was to fight your brother without even trying to talk to him, thus again putting others above your family. And last but not least, you failed to save Nightmare and only watch him being murdered in front of you by your friend and savior, Ink... have I forgotten something? Wow, it's like the word failure was created the moment you were born, everything you try to do ends in a big, pathetic failure.

Dream wanted to respond to all the hate speech directed at him that he had just heard, he wanted to defend himself, to scream, to break free from his bonds and beat the damned destroyer in front of him. But all he could do was just stare at his attacker in silence, because in the end, he wasn't wrong. Even more in this period of mourning, the guardian of positivity saw himself as a failure. No longer able to maintain his posture, Dream began to cry.

\- And of course you are crying, what else could someone as weak as you do, right? By the stars, I'm glad I don't have a brother like you. - When he noticed that his insults were no longer having any effect and Dream was just crying, looking as if he wasn't even listening, Error then decided that this was enough and began to talk about a more serious subject. - You know ... you won't believe this, hell even I who heard it directly from him can't believe it sometimes. But one night, when we were in a rare moment discussing some silly philosophical issues of our lives, he commented that he missed you... although soon after he corrected himself by stating that he still hated you. But you get the point, somewhere underneath that disgusting goo, he still recognized you as family. - And this time, Error got a reaction from his prisoner who looked at him in amazement.

\- What? Nightmare... did he... miss me? - His voice sounded horrible because of the crying, but Error made an effort to ignore it.

\- Yes, despite his hatred for you, he sometimes visited DreamTale back when you were still a statue in the faint hope that he would find you free of your petrified state, although after a while he lost hope and considered you officially dead, at least until that damned squid saved you, but that's not the point now. The point is, for someone whose powers allow you to relate on a much more intimate level to people's emotions, you suck at noticing the real intentions of others. I mean, you never realized that one of the main reasons he never took you back is because you never accepted him for who he is.

\- And what do you know!? You haven't known him as long as I have! You're just a crazy destroyer... - Dream's insult was interrupted by a shout from Error.

\- Exactly you bastard! - Even for someone like Error who didn't like physical contact, he couldn't help but punch Dream in the face as he spewed facts. - I knew him only a short time compared to you, and yet I could see things so obvious that you couldn't see even in a millennium. You want him to go back to the way he was before he ate the black apples, but tell me, little guardian, what was he like? - Dream opened his mouth to answer, but before any sound could come out the destroyer spoke again, thus interrupting him once more. - You remember him as the shy and quiet boy who liked to read books under that tree, a little brother who didn't seem able to hurt a fly. But do you know how he remembered himself? He saw himself as a weakling who didn't have the strength to defend himself and was the target of hatred for something he didn't even have control over. He saw himself as a poor wretch alone in the world because his only family always put strangers above him, and any attempt to convince him of their point of view was always seen as exaggeration and ridiculous in his eyes. - Approaching his prisoner as he came face to face with him, Error continued to pour salt into the wound. - Do you understand now, Dream? People change over time, and your brother had to change to survive in that toxic environment. When you begged him in that pathetic way to put aside his hatred and go back to the way he was before, you were asking him to go back to being small and weak. - Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Error was a little irritated that he had lost his composure, but soon he calmed down and spoke again, but this time in a calmer tone. - Listen, I could be wrong about this, but maybe, and that is huge maybe, if you had accepted who he had became, you two could have built something new together.

Dream didn't know exactly how to feel at the moment, the words of one of the craziest and most violent Sans in the multiverse had hit him mercilessly. His mind was a complete mess and the guardian was having trouble saying anything to defend himself. Maybe it was the little pride he had left that still made him unwilling to listen to the speech he heard, as well as the few memories he had of all the people he had helped over the years while fighting his brother. After all, he was still talking to the greatest assassin that ever lived, his words should not be truths, especially when put into the balance considering all the good he caused and all the bad his kidnapper was responsible for. Looking at it from a general point of view, morally speaking, he was the right one.

\- And what did you want me to do? Negative feelings are like poison to me, so I should just stop helping all the innocents in the multiverse who suffered because of Nightmare's actions and join the little kingdom of chaos that you two were creating? My job is important, I help people unlike you, I am important, I make a difference. Don't ask me to simply abandon those who need help. - Remembering the smile and thanks as well as the comfortable feeling when saving someone's life, Dream was hiding behind his last moral barrier in an attempt not to give in to Error's cruel words.

\- So, in the end the conversation boiled down to this, eh? Are we really going to discuss these boring moral issues regarding the damn anomalies? As you wish then.

And without further ado, Error opened a portal to some unknown AU and disappeared when the portal closed. Dream didn't understand what was happening, the destroyer just walked away without explaining what he was going to do and just left him alone trapped in this prison. Looking around, Dream couldn't imagine how he could escape or at least ask for help, much less where his captor had gone or why.

Being alone for a few minutes now, Dream was finally able to calm down a bit and stop crying when a portal composed of glitches appeared again. As expected, Error appeared from the portal, but what the guardian didn't expect was that he would be accompanied, trapped in his strings were seven monsters with looks full of fear, wonder and surprise, just one look was enough to realize that they were different versions of the same individual, soon they were abducted from different AU's. Pulling at his memory, Dream remembered that this monster was Snowdin's shopkeeper who possessed aspects of a rabbit, and in some pacifist and neutral routes interacted with the human.

\- Mind if we play a little game dream boy? These are the anomalies you fight so hard to protect. - Pulling a knife from his coat pocket, the glitch released his new prisoners and threw the knife among them. - I know you must be confused, one moment you were living your boring, tedious and insignificant lives and now you are stuck here, but listen. Whoever uses this knife to kill the cute guardian over there will win the chance to return home safely, and the others will join my collection. - Pointing his finger upward, only now did the newcomers notice the souls hanging high above their heads. The seven versions of the same monster felt a chill ran down their spines. Although some of these monsters didn't know exactly what was going on, others had heard stories about the cursed destroyer, although they were seeing it for the first time. - Don't get me wrong, I didn't say I would kill you, only that you would remain my prisoners, forever. - The destroyer's sick smile broke the last barrier of courage that any of the seven monsters could possess. Looking satisfied at the seven Individuals who looked more like seven lambs ready for the slaughter, Error shifted his gaze to Dream. - But this little game wouldn't be fair to you little guardian, so let's make things a little more interesting, after all even a coward like you deserves a chance to live. Should these anomalies give up their freedom for you, then I will free you, and you will live to see another day. Now listen everybody, a curious fact if you haven't noticed. - Making sure that everyone present was quiet and had their attention focused on him, Error continued. - All of you filthy anomalies belong to AU's that in the past were saved by the pathetic group Star Sanses... how I hate that name. Anyway, not only you, but your families, friends and your own universe only still exist because of this insignificant guardian who lived his life failing his family. If you have any sense of gratitude for your savior, then it wouldn't be too much to ask that you give up your freedom for the greater good, would it? After all, if he lives he will be able to save new AU's in the future, or maybe you don't care about that and just want to go home? And remember, if you choose the option involving murder, only one of you can return. Now make your choice.

Next, Error created a sort of net made from his strings on top of the Anti-Void and lay down on it, as well as opening a small portal to steal chocolate from UnderFell. In this way, the destroyer just relaxed and watched the show unfold on its own.

\- You are crazy! You can't just kidnap others like this and expect them to make a self-sacrificing choice for someone else! - Dream shouted in indignation, but noticing that his words didn't even make the destroyer look at him, Dream then decided to talk to the others. - Listen to me, you don't need to kill each other, no one here needs to die. You've seen me before and you know I can help you, I'm Ink's friend and once I'm free of here, I'll ask for his help immediately to rescue you. I just ask you to please trust me, I saved you once before and I can do it again.

The seven shopkeepers didn't answer immediately, everything was still very confusing considering that this whole mess occurred so suddenly. One moment they were in the comfort of their homes, and the next moment they were playing a sick game staking both their freedom and their very lives. And after a few seconds of extremely uncomfortable silence, one of the monsters spoke up.

\- You say that, but what guarantee do we have that you will really come back? I mean, if you can really help us, then why were you captured in the first place? Shouldn't you be stronger than that? - Dream couldn't tell exactly which AU this shopkeeper belonged to, but from her appearance and clothes, she seemed to be from some Fell universe. Which would explain her more aggressive tone than usual compared to the others. - Look, I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful for what you did for us in the past, I remember the day you defended us from that crazy hooded monster. - As she said these words, her body trembled with fear as she remembered the madness in the eyes of the skeleton that single-handedly killed hundreds of monsters with almost no effort. - But I have family and friends waiting for me, I don't know exactly if this bastard will keep his promise, but I prefer not to take unnecessary risks.

\- Rude. - Being discredited and called a bastard, Error made a small comment as if he was feeling offended. But watching his smiling expression as he ate his chocolate, everyone could tell he was enjoying himself.

And so, one of the seven rabbit-like monsters in the group walked over to the knife and picked it up. Then it proceeded with quick steps towards Dream who was still trapped and helpless in the strings of the destroyer. But before she could get any closer, her advance was stopped by another version of herself.

\- And what gives you the right to be the one to run away from here? You're not the only one with someone waiting for you to return.

And with that, an argument erupted among the seven individuals, to the joy and entertainment of Error and the horror of Dream. The guardian tried again to explain that the best option was for him to be released, so that he could return later with help and save them, so that no one would have to die. But his cries didn't seem to convince almost anyone, there was only one version of the monsters with rabbit-like features that seemed to be on his side, but to his great misfortune, this same monster was the first to lose its life when a stab wound cut its throat, and Dream could do nothing but watch the scene of the poor shopkeeper turning to dust.

\- No! Don't you understand? This is what he wants! He wants to prove that you are not worth saving, you are giving that bastard exactly what he wants! - Dream shouted with all his might while Error only laughed.

But the chaos had already begun, the first death had already happened and it was too late to turn back now, but that didn't stop Dream from continuing to shout words that fell on deaf ears. At the end of the confusion, only one monster remained, and this would be the same shopkeeper who appeared to be from some Fell-type universe. Her body was riddled with injuries, but that didn't take away from the determination in her eyes to return home safely.

\- I'm sorry... I'm sorry, but I want to live.

Muttering something to ease her guilty conscience, she walked slowly with knife in hand towards Dream. At this point, the guardian had no strength left for anything and just seemed to have accepted his fate that he would die in a sick game for the destroyer. But before his life was taken, Dream felt the strings that were wrapped around his soul disappear, causing him to fall to the ground.

Staring in amazement at both the rabbit-like monster in front of him and at Error who was still lying in the strings above, Dream stood up as he heard a single word coming from the glitch:

\- Fight. - Then the golden staff of the guardian was thrown in front of him.

\- This is not fair! You didn't say you would release him! You lied to me! - Just as Dream's cries were completely ignored by everyone earlier, the shopkeeper's cries provoked no reaction from anyone. But Error still decided to have a little fun with the situation.

\- Instead of yelling at me, I think you should worry about the one in front of you.

Turning her gaze to Dream, the guardian had now turned his golden staff into two blades. His gaze was blank and devoid of any sympathy he had a few moments ago.

\- I wasn't lying, I really was coming back for you, I really was going to save you... but greed really blinds people, doesn't it? Just like that time... just like that time... - With slow steps and staring at the ground, Dream walked towards his target, towards his victim that he once risked his life to save.

\- Wait, wait, wait! Now that you are free we can help each other and fight him together! We don't have to... - But her words died in her mouth when a blow so fast that her eyes could not follow, cut her arm that was holding the knife, thus ripping out a shrill cry of pain.

\- No matter what AU, you are all the same, always putting yourselves above others, believing yourselves more important than anyone else. Is it for people like you that I have risked my life so many times? Is it for people like you that I... lost my brother? - With another blow, a leg was torn off.

The now helpless and terrified rabbit monster tried to say everything her mind could think of in an attempt to save herself, but nothing seemed to help, in the end the last of the shopkeepers shared the same fate as her other counterparts and turned into a pile of dust.

\- Congratulations dream boy, I honestly wasn't sure you had the courage to do this, so there is a little courage in you after all. - Climbing down from his comfortable hammock, Error landed and approached Dream. - Don't feel bad, that anomaly shouldn't exist in the first place, do you know what the odds are that a universe like hers could exist? The probability of 1 divided by 9.109.043.495, That's simply a freak accident isn't it? Who would miss a little blip on the radar like that? You did us a favor by eliminating something as small and insignificant as that. - Looking with cold eyes at the glitch, there was no longer any trace of the compassion that usually always surrounded the guardian. And then, Dream pointed one of his blades at Error.

\- Don't try to make me sympathize with your crazy ideas, what I did was not for you. - Just like his look, his tone of voice now seemed to belong to someone totally different.

\- That menacing tone, that posture and determination in your gaze, is like looking at someone who has been reborn. Now you are looking like the brother Nightmare wanted, I guess an apple doesn't fall too far from the tree after all, does it? - Laughing at his own joke, Error opened a new portal to DreamTale. - Now get out of my here, I have work to do and I don't want to waste any more time with you.

\- Will you let me go? After all this? Just like that?

\- Yes I will, what did you think I would do? Did you think I would keep you here forever? You're not worth the trouble. I just wanted to throw in your face what a terrible brother you are and make you see the obvious in the relationship you had with Nightmare, this little game was more of a last minute improvisation. Now go away before I kick your ass out of here.

Deciding to obey the glitch before it changed his mind, Dream transformed his weapon back into a golden staff, and then stepped through the portal, which closed shortly thereafter. Again he stood in front of the fallen tree, again alone in his homeland where he was now the sole survivor. A short time had passed since he returned to this place, but still so much had happened. Dream began to reflect on everything he had experienced.

From the time when everything was simpler and his duty was to protect the tree, to the present. What Ink and Error said was true, Dream was a coward, because for a long time he used the excuse that he was helping others as a way to run away from his own problems, his own personal conflicts. And he was a failure, for he never actually succeeded in protecting anything that was really dear to him, since all the humans and monsters he risked his life to save to this day have lost any sympathy Dream once had for them.

But while he was lost in his thoughts, again confused about what to do with his life now, Dream spotted a small black dot amidst the fallen tree in front of him. Upon closer examination, he was able to find a single apple, a black apple.

Long ago, the golden apples became corrupted and Nightmare ate them all, both the apples that were already black and the corrupted ones, then brutally killed all the inhabitants from DreamTale, but for some reason one of the apples seems to have gone unnoticed and remained hidden from the eyes of the guardian of negativity. Perhaps it was fate.

Still a little hesitant, Dream approached the last fruit and with a trembling hand, picked up the corrupted apple. To his amazement, the fruit remained black in appearance, instead of turning into a golden mace, for this was an effect of the guardians' powers that worked automatically. If Nightmare held a golden apple, it would turn black, and if Dream held a black apple, it would turn golden, all of this would be an effect of their powers. But at this very moment, a black apple was being held by Dream, the only explanation the little guardian could think of was that due to his emotional state, there was more negativity than positivity inside him, but for some reason, this didn't seem to bother him as much as it did in the past, as if a part of him had already accepted the darkness inside his soul.

Dream stood still for several minutes staring at the fruit in his hand as if hypnotized, several conflicting thoughts were hitting him telling him what he should and should not do, until one particular thought caught his attention.

His brother had been through a lot in his life, and on many occasions he offered help, but besides the fact that he couldn't help himself, how could he help Nightmare if he didn't understand his pain? Why did Nightmare recruit crazy Sans in the first place? Was his only intent on increasing his power in conquering the multiverse, or did he also want to surround himself with other broken, injured, and rejected monsters around the world like him?

He could never really understand the pain his only family really felt if he didn't experience this same pain. And as he strengthened his resolve in this decision, any thoughts of continuing to protect the ungrateful inhabitants of the AU's scattered throughout the multiverse or continuing his partnership with Ink and the others vanished. Bringing the last black apple to his mouth, Dream bit into it.

The effect was immediate, Dream could feel the darkness consuming the golden apple that rested inside his body. It hurt, everything hurt, his whole body seemed to have lost its strength as he fell to his knees on the ground and small tentacles composed of the same substance that affected his brother came out of his eyes. For a moment Dream seemed to be losing his senses as his vision dimmed, the sound of the wind blowing around him disappeared and the smell of the flowers died, everything was replaced by pure pain and agony. This was the pain his brother felt in silence.

Slowly the black goo covered his whole body, and when the transformation was complete, his senses apparently returned to normal, but when Dream opened his eyes, the whole world seemed to have transformed. All the pressure, stress, and any worry that had been bothering him had vanished without a trace. His mind was clear and all his doubts seemed to have vanished as if they had never existed in the first place. Dream couldn't even remember the last time he felt so free like this, if he had known it would be so liberating, he would surely have consumed this fruit long ago.

About his body, now he was not only limited to the humanoid figure he had lived with all his life, from his back, just like Nightmare, tentacles protruded outwards and moving them seemed as natural as controlling an arm or leg, as if he had already been born with this characteristic.

As for his powers, Dream didn't even need to use them to know that there was a considerable increase in power. But what struck him most was the way he sensed the positive and negative energies in the multiverse. Before, Dream could feel the positivity and by feeding on it, he could become stronger as well as heal himself, while the negativity had the opposite effect, it made him weak and acted like a poison to him. But now, there was something different about the positive energy, as if there was a dark side he had never noticed before, while the negative energy no longer seemed as repulsive as before.

Eager to test his new abilities, Dream quickly moved on to another AU, more specifically to UnderSwap due to it being one of the most positive alternate universes and Blue's home. Upon arriving at his destination, the now corrupted guardian found himself in the middle of Snowdin's forest, not far from there footsteps muffled by snow could be heard from a monster that strolled leisurely, oblivious to what awaited him.

Its appearance consisted of a large wolf that walked using only its hind legs whose performance in most AU's was to throw large blocks of ice into the river, and these blocks would travel all the way to the CORE in order to cool it down. Apparently he was on his way to his place of work when a sinister figure composed of a black substance appeared in his path. Before he had a chance to ask who it was and what he was doing there, tentacles composed of some kind of goo were quickly shot towards him and wrapped him in a tight grip, to the point that even a physically strong monster like him could not escape.

\- A monster whose sole purpose is to throw ice blocks into the river... frankly what were the creators thinking when they created you? But don't worry, I can give you a new purpose.

Without giving his prey any chance to say anything, Dream put his hand on the wolf's chest in order to test his new ability, to convert positivity into negativity. As a result, the following scene was disturbing.

This monster in the shape of a large wolf began to laugh out loud when he felt a strange energy enter his body through the physical contact of the bizarre being in front of him. For a few seconds he continued to laugh out loud without having control over his emotions to the point that tears started to flow from his eyes, but at some point the laughter was interrupted by some hiccups similar to when someone was crying. And in this confused mixture of laughter and wailing a gigantic amount of euphoria hit the poor wolf, causing him to lose the almost already absent control he had over his own body.

Before Dream knew it, the monster trapped in his tentacles was shaking as if suffering some kind of convulsion, but never stopping laughing wildly. Until he finally stopped moving and turned to dust when any signs of life left his body.

\- Happiness, he literally died of happiness. - Dream was silent for a few moments processing what he had just witnessed, as he also savored the negative energy generated by the suffering of his victim. Then a sinister smile that was very reminiscent of his brother appeared on the corrupted guardian's face. - That was beautiful.

Through reflex, Dream again used one of his extra limbs to defend himself against a bone-shaped attack that was aimed at him. Looking in the direction of the attack, it was possible to see Stretch, Blue's brother.

\- Who are you? - By coincidence Stretch was passing by when he heard a loud sound of laughter, as he approached to investigate, even a skeleton like himself paled at the sight of the whole crazy, scary scene that had just happened. - Nightmare? No... you are different, who are you and what do you want?

At first, Stretch's body tensed up as he remembered Nightmare, but then he remembered that the King of Nightmares was defeated and killed by Ink, so this had to be someone else. As he calmed down and took a closer look, he could notice certain physical differences such as the slight golden glow on the black goo as opposed to the green glow that Nightmare possessed. But regardless of who the strange figure in front of him was, one thing was certain based on what just happened, it was an enemy. So Stretch spat his cigarette on the ground and took up a battle stance, although he wasn't that experienced in combat due to his lazy nature, he at least had confidence in his own power due to his right eye.

\- These things are really useful. - Dream commented as he used his tentacle to break the bone that was just fired at his direction. - But I'm offended Stretch, how many times have we seen each other? How many times have we not eaten your brother's horrible tacos together? You know me.

Taking a second look, Stretch finally noticed the golden tiara on the bizarre being's head, and it was then that he finally recognized who he was talking to.

\- Dream? - Immediately the Papyrus from UnderSwap lost his composure due to the shock that the revelation brought to him. - What... but how... what happened to you? Why are you like this?

\- What happened to me? I have freed myself Stretch, I am finally free from the moral ties that bound me and I have become the personification of guilt for the purpose of carrying on my brother's will. To cause endless suffering to all those who considered him evil and wished and especially caused his death. - A mixture of madness, anger, guilt, sorrow and hatred could be seen in Dream's gaze and smile, which had the effect that Stretch could swear Snowdin's temperature got even colder.

\- Blue told me that you were in a bad way because of the loss of your brother but... at this point? - Stretch barely had time to recover from the shock when a tentacle pierced the ground where he was standing a second ago. If he hadn't been quick enough to dodge it he could have been killed by that attack alone.

\- I want to finish this before someone comes along to disturb me, there are still a few things I'd like to try. - Smiling mischievously, the fallen guardian advanced against his opponent.

Making every effort to ignore any sympathy he might feel for Dream based on the relationship the two had in the past, Papyrus fired off his own attacks in an attempt to spare Dream from his own suffering. Blue had always been someone with a good heart and would certainly try to help his friend, but Stretch needed no effort to realize that Dream was already at a point where virtually no help could bring him back. So with the hope that he could win and spare his brother from such a scene, both combatants collided.

  
Back at the Star Sanses base, most of those who were partying had already left, the few remaining ranged from those who were too drunk to return home, those who depended on the drunks to get home, and a small handful who still had some business to do with Ink. Being the protector of the AU's, the artist not only dealt with external threats like the destroyer but also with some internal problems in the alternate universes whenever possible, although Ink himself claimed that he didn't like that part of his job so much.

When Ink noticed Blue in the distance calling him with a wave of his hand, he found the perfect excuse to disperse the small crowd and ran to his friend.

\- Thanks, you saved me from them. Once they start asking for things they don't stop, I'm not a genie lamp to be making all those wishes come true. - Said Ink as he looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. - Anyway, what do you need?

\- It's Dream... I'm worried about him, he left some time ago and we have no idea where he might have gone. Shouldn't we start looking for him? - It was visible the discomfort in his eyes, part of him felt guilty for not being able to do anything to help.

\- I understand your concern, but there's not much we can do. He needs time to overcome the grief of the loss he has suffered, and besides, we have no way of knowing where he might be. Sorry Blue, but there really isn't much we can do now. - That was only half of the reason why Ink didn't want to see Dream at the moment, the other half was because of the rude words he had said earlier. Blue didn't know about that.

\- Okay... could you at least take me home then? It's getting late and my brother must be worried.

\- That I can do. - Replied the artist as he used his brush and wrapped both of them in a thick layer of paint that would lead them to UnderSwap. This was the best opportunity to escape from those who kept asking him for things.

When the pair was free of the layer of paint that enveloped them, they couldn't believe their eyes. Ink even thought for a moment that he had gone to the wrong AU, but on checking again he confirmed that this was indeed the right place.

Currently much of Snowdin was destroyed, but what was most striking was the sight composed of dozens of monsters with bizarre behavior. Some were lying on the ground while others were leaning on something, but one trait they all shared was that they were laughing wildly, but if one paid attention, it was possible to hear cries of pain coming from time to time. There were monsters who just stood there trapped in this insane state while certain monsters hurt themselves by banging their heads against the floor or the wall, perhaps in an attempt to use the pain as a distraction from the hell that their minds had become, perhaps in an attempt to take their own lives to escape such suffering, or perhaps they didn't even know what they were doing anymore. Either way, the underground in UnderSwap currently resembled a vision taken straight from hell.

Blue, still haunted by the fearful and disturbing sounds of all the laughter and wailing, began to run around the city in search of his brother. Ink shouted his name and asked him to wait, but the little Sans didn't listen and continued his search.

A few minutes later, they both stopped when they spotted a tall skeleton wearing an orange sweatshirt lying on his knees in a slightly outlying part of town. Neither of them needed any effort to recognize who he was, and as they approached him, Blue covered his mouth with both hands in an attempt to hold back the scream of shock at what he saw. And like a puppet whose strings were cut, the little Sans fell to his knees as tears began to flow from his eyes.

Standing in front of him on his knees, Stretch was laughing non-stop like the others, but his laughter was much lower and muffled compared to the others, giving the impression that he had been in this state for some time and could barely use his voice anymore. Besides the many wounds all over his body and the endless tears, both his arms appeared to be broken from what looked like a strong grip that crushed them.

No matter how or how hard Blue tried to talk to his brother, he didn't even seem to be listening. Ink in turn just observed everything and tried to understand what happened in this place as well as the person responsible. But one thing was clear, a magic capable of interacting with the emotions of others seemed to be responsible for all this chaos, and Ink only knew two individuals who were gifted with this ability, and one of them was dead.

Sighing deeply as he refused to believe that such a thing could have happened, the artist needed a few seconds to recover from the shock and then finally accept the situation where there was only one explanation.

\- I eliminated one threat only to create another... very well, that is my responsibility. I will finish what I started.

  
In a negative AU of one of the most disturbing Sans that existed, this one that identified itself as SixBones, an amalgam of Sans and Papyrus, in the past was attacked by Killer on Nightmare's orders with the intent of eliminating all resistance and subjugating all that remained. Killer has done his duty and since then this alternate universe has become part of the reign of terror that the guardian of negativity wishes to create. But for Killer himself, this place was currently nothing more than a temporary refuge.

Inside the real laboratory, in one corner Killer sat and leaned against the wall as he played with his knife. After his boss died, Nightmare's three subordinates abandoned the losing fight and fled to safety, splitting up in the process.

Killer was the first to be recruited and although he was the one who gave his boss the most headaches, he was also the most loyal. Of all three, he was the one who was having the hardest time accepting the loss of the one who gave his life a new purpose. For Killer in his native AU, had long ago given up on freeing himself from the infernal cycle of RESETS and just gave in to madness as he killed everyone he knew again and again along with the demonic child. Until the events where Chara's soul was fused with his own and Nightmare appeared, claiming Killer as his own.

From that day on, Killer fully accepted his new nature and embraced madness as part of himself as he worked for his boss causing chaos and suffering in exchange for the freedom he received by breaking free of the endless time loop caused by the human. But now all that is over, because the one Killer believed he would never pass away from has ceased to exist, and now his life is once again empty and without any purpose.

Feeling someone approaching, Killer stood up with knife in hand and ready to start a fight, for only in the heat of battle could he finally forget his problems. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw when the intruder crossed the laboratory corridor and stopped in front of him.

\- Boss...? No wait, Dream? - Unlike Stretch, the Sans in possession of a knife would recognize his enemy in any form, but that didn't make the situation any less confusing. - Why do you look like that?

\- Killer... no matter where my brother goes, you were always there by his side like a shadow. The oldest and most loyal subordinate, it's good that we finally have a chance to talk. As for my appearance, if you know the origin of your former boss's powers, then you should already know the answer. - Dream's smile was eerily similar to that of Nightmare. The feeling that the owner of this smile was the one in control of the situation was identical, but Killer did not want to accept this fact.

\- The black apple? Ha! Why did you become corrupted like him? Couldn't handle the loss and in a moment of weakness swallowed that thing? Funny that you seem to care more about him after his death than when he was alive. - To Killer's hostile response, the fallen guardian just laughed with satisfaction, as if the insults were compliments.

\- I remember that even at critical moments, your wild mouth always said the most inappropriate things at the worst moments. And if I remember correctly, it was at times like these that my brother did this.

Even for someone with Killer's fighting experience, he barely managed to react when a tentacle, something he was already very familiar with, grabbed him by the neck and violently threw him against the wall. More than once.

\- You really are the boss's brother... - Commented the mad Sans amid groans of pain.

\- Let me be blunt, the fruit I ate gave me an epiphany regarding the way I saw the world. I can give you the details later, but what you need to know now is that I wish to avenge my brother, and if I have not been wrong about you... Killer, then you also wish the same. Or am I wrong?

And then it happened, under the gaze of this reborn Dream, the oppressive feeling of superiority and royalty that not even the presence of the destroyer himself could replicate arose. The tense atmosphere as if a single wrong move would cost him his life as well as the feeling that the temperature of the room had dropped by several degrees, also appeared. These were characteristics in which only one monster in the entire multiverse possessed, and even if he no longer existed, Killer had found someone who could fill this empty space in his life.

\- No, you're not wrong... boss. - They both smiled as they affirmed the agreement.

\- Come on, we have work to do. We need to find the other two as well as make preparations to deal with Ink. - The hatred in his voice as he said the artist's name was strong enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

Killer obediently followed behind his new boss and they both left this universe. From this moment on, a new era of fear and darkness would fall upon the multiverse, one King of Nightmares fell only for another to take his place. And this second was determined to avenge the first.

  
Several days passed after the events of UnderSwap, Ink gathered all the healers he could find and asked them for help in dealing with the emotion problem that plagued several innocent lives. But no effort seemed to yield results as the healing magic although it was able to heal physical and magical wounds, it did not seem to be able to be as effective on the emotional state of the victims.

The younger and weaker ones perished in the first few days as their bodies were not strong enough to handle all the stress, and it was not possible to tell how long the others would hold out. To make matters worse, new AU's were being attacked in the same way frequently, the attacks were short and quick but effective, and when Ink arrived on the scene, he was again forced to witness the disturbing scene of a laughing and crying crowd. Even for someone with no real emotions like Ink, this was not a pleasant scene he wished to see.

Nightmare's minions also appeared again, and just as before their attacks always left a large number of victims behind and the survivors were always in the same condition as emotionally broken people. It was obvious that they were not acting individually and there was some responsible behind their actions, and although there were still those who refused to accept the reality, Ink knew that Dream, the same one who had been missing since Nightmare's death, was responsible for this.

Ink was extremely tired mentally from all the problems he had and yet he didn't possess the ability to solve any of them. Blue, for example, barely took care of himself and would not leave the side of his brother who was in a similar state as when he was found. With the exception of his physical injuries that were treated, there was nothing more that the healers could do to help.

As Ink took one of the rare moments he had to rest, the main door of the Star Sanses base, a name that could not even be used anymore, opened and an extremely injured Sans ran in, almost tripping over his own feet. Spotting Ink, he ran up to him.

\- Ink! I found him, no, he found me! - Although his mental and emotional state were not as compromised as victims usually become, still this Sans was extremely terrified and had difficulty even forming words.

Ink being exhausted, stressed and out of patience the way he was, didn't want to waste his time listening to the nonsense of a madman.

\- Pull yourself together. - Said the artist as he slapped the face of the Sans in question, who surprisingly seemed to have calmed down.

\- Sorry ... but he sent me here, he said I should give you a warning.

\- Who? - Even though this Sans had come to his senses a bit, Ink was still tempted to slap him again. The blow from earlier proved to be very therapeutic for some reason.

\- Dream. - Hearing this, Ink finally began to take this conversation seriously. - He attacked my house... my AU, and said that you should meet him in DreamTale as soon as you hear this message. He will be waiting for you at the place where it all started, does that make any sense to you?

Ink wasted no time and grabbed his big brush as he prepared to leave.

\- Thanks for the warning, stay here and rest now. Let's finally get this over with.

And without further ado, the artist created a puddle of paint on the floor and jumped through it, leaving an unresponsive Sans behind. Hearing the place where Dream would like to meet him, Ink knew exactly where this place would be.

Long ago, the protector of the AU's traveled to DreamTale, a very old AU but for some reason there was not a single life in it, thus becoming a deserted place. Interestingly enough, there was no human gifted with the power of determination to reset the timeline of this universe, so Ink had no clue whatsoever to find out what occurred in this place. Until the moment he spotted a statue next to a fallen tree.

The petrified figure had the appearance of a Sans, although the clothes appeared to belong to a very unique style. Curious as to whether it was really a living being or not, Ink experimented with his magic, and to his surprise and joy, the petrified monster regained consciousness, waking up from its long sleep.

He acted very confused and frightened at first, but with time his doubts were cleared up and Ink learned a lot about this strange and funny fellow. A friendship was born between them and before they knew it, they were fighting side by side, trusting their lives in each other's hands to protect the multiverse. Soon, the place where it all began would be right in front of the fallen tree where they met.

Upon setting foot on his destination site, Ink didn't have to look far to find his goal. What he didn't expect was the corrupted form of Dream, a form that was almost identical to that of Nightmare.

\- Dream? Honestly, these last few days you have given me more trouble than Error itself. What has happened to you to get this way?

\- Lately I am getting tired of hearing the same question over and over again... is this how you greet a friend you haven't seen for so long? Especially considering the way we said goodbye last time? - The similarities in the way he spoke and acted when compared to Nightmare, was something Ink found surprising. Dream really was worthy of calling himself the twin brother of the King of Nightmares.

\- Friends don't travel the entire multiverse causing chaos wherever they go. Do you have any idea how much my workload has increased because of you?

\- Friends don't kill other people's families in front of them and humiliate them. Do you have any idea how much I have suffered because of you?

For the next few seconds, a look composed of anger from the artist clashed with a look composed of hatred from the fallen guardian. The tension and the heavy atmosphere between the two seemed to have become palpable as a deadly life-and-death battle looked like it would break out at any moment.

\- As I understand it, you are the current owner of the collar of your brother's former pets. Are you sure you want to do this without their help? - Taking his brush off his back, Ink prepared himself for the inevitable confrontation.

\- Why do you think I attacked so many AU's causing them suffering? With my current power, I alone am more than enough to deal with you. - Just like his enemy, Dream prepared himself with his bow in hand as he summoned it for combat.

\- I will ask again, Dream, what happened to you? - Although tired of hearing this question so many times, the corrupted guardian sighed and decided it would be okay to explain his condition.

\- I ate the last black apple from the tree, it corrupted the golden apple that was inside me, the result is what you see. But don't ask me why I decided to eat that apple, because you are one of the main reasons. - Clutching the bow tightly in his hands, Dream needed a great willpower just to not start the battle immediately.

\- Wow, I really hurt you that much, huh? Even if your brother deserved to die for everything he did. That's something the whole multiverse agrees on.

\- That's the point Ink, the way everyone in the multiverse acted towards my brother is what made him what he is, is what made me what I am now. You have created a real monster, and now you are going to have to deal with it. Nobody is above the consequences. Do you think that I am not aware of the fact that many pretend to care about me because of the effects of the aura of positivity that I possessed? If they wanted that much positivity, then that is what I will give them! - Remembering the conditions that the victims of the now crazy guardian were in, Ink could finally understand the damn irony of it all. - And to answer your question, yes you did hurt me that much. Nightmare was the only person who ever loved me for who I really am, and you destroyed the only hope I could have of ever being reunited with my family again by killing him!

\- So... your dreams were shattered. Shattered Dream.

And with that, neither of them had anything more to say. Ink's eyes turned extremely black as small amounts of ink dripped from his eyes and mouth in a frightening manner, contrary to the usual gentle appearance he possessed. While his opponent, who already possessed both a sinister appearance and presence, became even darker as a sadistic smile took over his face and an absurd bloodlust surged from him intent on finally being able to kill the target of his hatred.

Preparing their respective attacks, the combat finally began. On one side the protector of the AU's battled for the safety of the multiverse while the now fallen guardian, Shattered Dream, fought to avenge his family and fulfill his brother's wish, to create a kingdom based on negativity.

A clash of friends who became enemies where none could afford to lose began.

**Author's Note:**

> My God, I'm really not good with goals, this one-shot in my head would be less than half the size, I really overdo it when I get carried away in writing T.T
> 
> Regarding the ending, maybe you will be mad at me for not declaring a winner, but for those of you who have read my story "A New Creator" you know that I like interpretative endings. So you can choose who triumphed in the end :v
> 
> The backstory of Nightmare and Dream that I used as a basis for this story can be found in this comic
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/thegrinningkitten/art/Apple-Incident-001-841683046
> 
> As for what motivated me to write this fanfic, it was this comic:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0eKdCIx3Gs&t=271s
> 
> I had three ideas in my head for fanfics, and by finishing this story I finally fulfilled those three ideas so now I'm not sure if I will write again. If someday a new cool idea pops up in my head I'll post it here again, but the chances of that happening are pretty low :v
> 
> Just a curiosity, at the moment when Error says that giant number referring to the chances that this anomaly had of existing, I did not invent that number. Can anyone guess where I got that reference from? :p
> 
> By the way, for those who also followed my other two stories, you may have noticed that Error is my favorite character. But this time I wanted to make a fanfic with a different protagonist, because I think the concept of the Shattered Dream is really cool, but unfortunately I don't see many works involving this character, so I decided to create one. I hope you liked it :v
> 
> But before I say goodbye, here's a little song called Onirophobia (fear of dreaming) which I listened to most of the time I was writing this story :v
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyYTspdG7Z8


End file.
